Goran Ivanisevic

Goran won the Wimbledon final after three past losses

Date of birth: 13/09/1971
Nationality: Croatian
Grand Slams: Wimbledon 2001

Goran Ivanisevic's Wimbledon victory over Pat Rafter in 2001 is the stuff of fairytales.

After three previous losing finals, Ivanisevic came out of the wilderness to win a first Grand Slam at the age of 29.

It had seemed impossible considering Ivanisevic had lost in the first round on his five previous Grand Slam appearances, and was only in the competition after receiving a wild card.

And his first-round defeat to journeyman Christiano Caratti at Queen's two weeks before Wimbledon gave no hint as to what was to come.

But Ivanisevic is a man of contradictions - capable of divine inspiration one moment and crass errors the next.

Ivanisevic won his first tour title back in 1990 and ended the year ranked ninth in the world aged just 19.

His first Wimbledon final came in 1992 when he faced Andre Agassi in a fascinating clash of styles.

On that occasion, Agassi's counterpunching won the day over Ivanisevic's attacking in five exciting sets.

Ivanisevic is the first wild-card Wimbledon winner

Ivanisevic went on to win bronze in singles and doubles at that year's Olympic Games in Barcelona, and also proudly carried the flag for his nation in the opening ceremony.

The Croat returned to the Wimbledon final in 1994, but after losing the first two sets on tie-breaks to Pete Sampras, he collapsed in the third without winning a game.

Even in defeat, however, he moved to a career high second in the world rankings behind the man who had beaten him.

And Sampras would prove his nemesis again in 1998, when Ivanisevic lost his third Wimbledon title, and his second in five sets.

The Croat ended that year 12th in the rankings - the ninth time in a row he had appeared in the top 16.

But that run ended there as he plummeted down the rankings as his body struggled with back and shoulder injuries - the years of smashing down aces had taken their toll.

Between then and his amazing comeback at Wimbledon, Ivanisevic made more headlines for the wrong reasons.

Like the famous racket-breaking incident in the Samsung Open at Brighton, when he was forced to retire from his second-round match as he smashed all the rackets in his bag.

But, to everyone's surprise, Ivanisevic was to get one more chance and he gratefully took it in one of the all-time great tennis stories.